Everyone's Waiting
by Forfun100
Summary: Jason Grace had always known she was the one. Piper, the girl who'd love him through thick and thin. But what happens when everything suddenly flies out of your control? When the past catches up with you? There's nothing else you can do, but love as best you can, and hope the storms will pass. Sequel to The Way Out.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey friends! Sequel time! Who's excited? I'm excited!**

**Just to let you know, there is a poll on my page for the other story I'll be writing in tandem with this story. Go vote for you favorite concept. Voting us up until Saturday so hurry friend.**

**Alright go ahead and read! I'm so excited for you! *blows kisses***

Blue is a nice color, until you see it so much that it literally no longer seems like a color anymore. But what was I expecting? It's my sister's baby shower, after all.

That's right. Thalia Castellan is having a baby. I never thought I'd see the day either. Nor did I ever think I'd see the day the Luke would offer to be a stay at home dad after the little tyke is born. Strange things happen, times change. I never thought my big sis would ever get married, or consider having a party like this. And by 'like this', I mean, the whole thing was designed by her employer. My girlfriend of five, almost six, year's mom, who just so happens to run the world's largest modeling agency. I guess you could say she knows a guy or two, or a billion.

Seriously, she transformed her whole home into a blue, baby, palooza. Balloons everywhere, streamers, a buffet looping around the backyard. Everything. I swear.

I arrive early to help set up, only, when I get there, everything seems well under control.

"Jason!" I hear Piper's mother from one side of the backyard.

I hug her tightly once she's made her way to me, "Hi Ms. Carrell."

"Jason, please. Mama." She laughs. She's spent the past five years attempting to get me to call her mom.

"Everything looks great." I compliment her work.

"Oh, merci. I have zo many good friends. Zey really pulled through vor me." She chuckles.

"Thalia will love it." Which may be true. Thalia's emotions have been all out of wack whenever I've talked to her. Maybe this will be something she greatly appreciates.

"I hope zo."

"Mama, quelqu'un est là pour vous." I smile brightly at the voice I hear next. I turn around to see Piper. My beautiful, Piper.

She's the only pop of color to be seen for miles, in a dark purple dress. She's wearing the jewelry I've gifted her over the years. She always tells me she'll wear anything once, and she's really kept that promise.

"Jason!" Piper nearly tackles me with kisses. I came into town before she did, as Piper had business to attend to in the states. She flew in last night and stayed with her mom. I haven't seen her in two whole weeks.

"Hi lovely." I greet her, smiling into the skin that's pressed to my face.

"You didn't ring the doorbell!" She laughs, "I've been answering the door dumby!"

"Sorry I missed the memo. Had I known there was such a beautiful greeter, I would have rang for you." I lean down and kiss her lipstick coated lips.

"I've missed you so much." She smiles putting her hands on either side of my face, "Uhg, you're adorable."

"More than you remember?" I tease.

"You must get cuter by the day, dear."

"If only that were the case." I kiss her again.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Piper takes my hand, showing me all the things her mother worked so hard to put together before the guests arrive.

Thalia and Luke are the first to arrive. Thalia starts crying immediately. While I stand awkwardly, unsure of how to go about this, Piper hugs her tightly.

"This is amazing." Thalia cries into Piper's shoulder. "Oh my god, thank you so much. You and your mom... It's so wonderful."

"It was our pleasure." Piper promises.

Luke takes my hand, "Jason."

"Good to see you." I nod.

"I think he likes it too." Thalia says placing a hand over her stomach, "You want to feel him kick Piper?"

"Oh... Uh, okay." Piper says nervously, stretching out her hand to feel my nephew kick, "Hi little one."

Thalia takes a deep breath, "He must be excited by the new voice." She says.

"He gets excited by everything nowadays doesn't he?" Luke chuckles.

"He's a Grace." I say.

"Sure is baby brother." Thalia looks at me before hugging my neck. Her stomach keeping us at a distance, "Thank you."

"Hey I didn't do anything." I hold up my hands in defense.

"Sure." Thalia waves me off to go see Piper's mom.

"She's so cute." Piper chuckles.

"Yeah, she is." I agree.

"She's got the pregnant lady waddle down." Piper comments.

"Don't tell her that, she'd hurt you."

"Or cry."

"Or cry."

Percy and Annabeth show up together right on time. Which isn't all that surprising when you remember that this is Annabeth we're talking about. Let me catch you up to speed real quick. Annabeth and Percy got married exactly one month after Annabeth graduated they themselves have been discussing having a baby. So have Hazel and Frank actually, wow, my friends are old. Talking about kids and stuff.

"Piper, everything looks so beautiful." Annabeth hugs her.

"My mother planned it." Piper chuckles.

"Don't kid yourself, you've been planning this ever since Thalia found out."

"A little bit before." I throw in.

"Jason." Piper nudges me.

"Am I wrong?" I ask.

"Nope." Percy winks at me.

"Where are our newlyweds?" I ask.

"They're dragging their feet, probably."

"Who's dragging their feet?" Frank asks as they appear with Leo and Reyna in tow.

"No one Frank." Percy laughs.

"That better be it." Hazel teases. The gang spends a bit of time catching up. The whole three weeks since Hazel and Frank's first anniversary (Which they insisted we all meet up for). Needless to say, not much has happened since then.

"Hey, so Leo is hungry. And Leo's going to go hit up the buffet. Who else is coming?" Leo strikes a ridiculous pose.

"I guess all of us. If we must." Annabeth fakes a sigh.

"Hey, Jason." Piper tugs on my arm, "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Come on!" She drags me behind her back into the house. How she can possibly run in those stilts she calls footwear is beyond me. But she runs me to a familiar place. She pushes up the patch of ceiling to produce a ladder. We climb up to the pillow covered landing.

We slip off our shoes and shove them into a corner of the attic. We start kissing like the teens we were when she first showed me this sanctuary.

"I've missed you." She sighs.

"I've missed you more."

"Not possible."

"I don't think you understand then."

She takes the words out of me with kisses of intense longing, "I think I do."

After several moments of kisses and sweet words she pulls back.

"Before we proceed, I did want to show you something." She reaches around me to the 'bookshelf' and presents to me a faded book.

"Is this what I think it is?" I chuckle taking the book in my hands, finding it more delicate then I remember. The pages are near bursting from the binding, the cover has almost become blank from fading, the book seems ages old.

"I Am The Messenger." She nods, "But open it!" She urges me.

When I open the book I see blue pen, crisp and clear, cover the two front pages.

I look at her in awe, "You got it signed."

"I did! Read it, read it."

_Dear Piper and Jason I suppose, as Piper has asked me to dedicate this to you. Piper has told me a miraculous love story that has surrounded my book. I think it's wonderful that you two have managed to find each other and have found my book to be a huge part of your love. I thank you for having read and enjoyed this book. I also thank your dedication to its lessons. It's truly remarkable to find people like you two in this world and even more remarkable to touch people like you._

And he's signed his name at the bottom.

"Piper, this is fantastic." I tell her kissing her cheeks.

"I know, when he came for a book signing in the spring I knew I had to get the book signed. For some reason there weren't all too many people there so I got to actually talk to him. He's an amazing man, Jason."

"You're not going to leave me for him are you?" I tease.

"Not a chance." She promises, kissing my lips and then wiping off the lipstick.

I bring her closer to me, cuddling into her a bit more as we stare out the window. We look at the crowded streets, cluttered with cars and people. We can see the Eiffel Tower from here. And on such a clear June day, the world seems alive below us.

Piper's hand rests on the book in my lap, twisting her fingers up with mine, her other hand wrapped around my back. Our bodies pressed up close.

I kiss the top of her head reveling in this moment of stillness we get to have. The moment of clarity when there really is nothing but the two of us holding on to one another as the rest of life and the world is below us.

We could be as far up as space and there would be no difference to how we feel now.

"I love you, Jason Grace." Piper smiles before kissing my jaw, "Everything's just so perfect.

"Well, actually Pipes, darling love of my mine, light of my life, apple of my eye, there's something missing."

Piper gives me a humored grin, "And what's that dearest darling?"

"Close your eyes. I have something to show you too."

"What is it?"

"Close your eyes." I laugh.

"Why?"

"Do it." I laugh, leaning forward to kiss her nose.

She rolls her eyes, "But-"

"Close em." I tell her.

She sighs as she covers her eyes with her hands.

"Now turn around."

"Really, Jason?" She chuckles.

"Really, Piper, turn around and no peeking."

"Fine." She sighs in a teasing way before swiveling to face the other direction.

I slowly pull the black box out of my pocket, only to feel the shaking of my hands. I wonder why I'm trembling, but nonetheless, open it as delicately as I can.

"Okay." I tell her smiling as widely as possible.

When she turns around she smacks as hand over her mouth.

"Oh my god." She gasps behind her hands.

Chuckling, I say, "Piper, I freaking love and adore you. And even though I know that you know that, I want the rest of the world to know that you and I are not a fling. That we are a team. And that we are going to be together forever."

"Jason." She lunges forward to hug me. I wrap one arm around her torso, squeezing her close to me. She still smells like sweetness, she always has. She's still a touch colder than I am, and that's probably because I'm in slacks and a button up while she's in a mid thigh length dress. She's still my Piper. I've never known her as anything else.

I pull away from her a bit, the pure elation on her face is blissful. I can't resist stealing a kiss.

"So, is that a yes?" I joke.

"Did you ask a question?" She returns the joke.

"Will you marry me?" I ask.

"Yes... yes I will marry you." She lets her voice shake.

"I was worried there for a second." I smile, "May I?" I take the ring from the box and slip it on her finger.

"You're a little sneak, did you know that?"

"It took some practice." I tell her.

"I'm sure it did." She laughs kissing me as many times as she pleases, "Were you planning this?"

"Actually, no. I didn't have a plan. I've been carrying it around for a month if you want to know the truth."

"A whole month?"

"Funny story I got stuck in security on my way over here because I forgot it was in my pocket."

"A whole month... Really?"

"Yeah, really." I admit sheepishly, "I've been thinking about it for half a year now, and I bought the ring. I've taken it with me everywhere, just in case a good moment sprang up."

"You're so cute, and a bit stupid. But cute."

"Thank you?" She leans forward to kiss me, "Thank you."

She looks down at her hand in a sort of awe. The band is simple, silver with one gem in the middle. I didn't know how to buy the thing okay? I'm a guy.

"Are you surprised?" I ask.

"Yes and no. I mean, we did promise each other."

"Yes we did, and now I can't call you my darling girlfriend. I have to call you my fiancée." I kiss her this time, I feel her excitement transfer to me.

"I love you." She touches her nose to mine.

"Hey, we have a party to get to remember?" I laugh suddenly recalling that detail myself.

"I remember." She promises, "But I want to have just you for awhile."

"Later maybe? It's my sister's baby shower, after all."

"Fine." Piper agrees teasingly. The two of us walk down to the backyard where people are meandering about. Piper and I find Thalia in almost no time at all.

"Hi again." Piper beams at her.

"Hi." Thalia forces a smile.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing." She assures me in a rather non-assuring way.

"Are you alright?" Piper asks placing a gentle hand around my sister's shoulders.

"I'd like to say yes." Thalia admits to her.

"Why don't you sit down?" She rubs a bit of comfort into her.

"Uh... No." Thalia says wrapping an arm under her stomach, "Jason, can you get Luke for me?"

"Sure Thalia, what should I tell him?"

"Tell him my water broke."

And that begins our mad dash to the hospital. Piper remaining the only level headed one the entire time. No surprise there. Luke gave me a look of disbelief, I'm going to vomit, and you're kidding me right, when I found him. I'll have to ask how he did it sometime.

Piper's mom started squealing, which was frightening.

Annabeth kept trying to calm herself down but only became more hysterical. Percy passed out. Hazel was frozen in shock, probably realizing that's a part of the deal when it comes to having kids. Frank kept sitting down and standing up again. Leo kept asking people if he should call 911 or if it was different in France.

As for me? I turned on some kind of protective brother mode. Not letting anyone get too close to her, until the paramedics arrived to get her to the hospital.

After she was taken away the rest of us began to make our separate ways to the hospital. Piper recommends we take a walk to calm me down. Hand in hand we stroll down the way toward the nearest hospital.

"So, are these excited nerves or what?" Piper chuckles.

"What do you think?" I ask, still shaking terribly even with her reassuring hand clasped with mine.

"I think you should be excited. You're going to be an uncle." She laughs.

"Yeah, I became someone's fiancé and an uncle in the same day. It's too much to handle." I tell her.

"Well, I could always give you the ring back." She smiles at me.

"Don't kid." I tell her.

"Calm down, you're not the one having a baby."

"Well, this is my sister."

"I know, and I know how much she means to you. But she's going to be alright. I promise you."

"I'm going to be an uncle."

"Yes you are."

"You're going to be an aunt!"

"Jason, I am an aunt remember?"

"But this is Thalia's baby, Pipes."

"True."

"Piper." I stop walking, I take both of her hands in mine.

"Yes?"

"I love you, you know that?"

"Yes... You okay?"

"Yeah, I just..." She grows about an inch on her toes to kiss me.

"I swear, sometimes you're just such a puppy."

"What does that mean?"

"For years, you've always doubted that I love you. And to this day, I still don't know why you doubt me. Jason, I promise I'm always going to be here. I'm always going to love you, you adorable little shit."

I lean down to kiss her, "I love you too."

"Good," She smiles taking the lead again. When we get to the hospital we find the rest of our friends already seated and waiting.

"Took you both long enough." Percy teases.

"Sorry, dad." Piper throws right back.

"You should be! Going out with that boy, you know I don't approve of." He scolds.

"Ugh, god dad, I don't care what you think about my life choices remember?"

"Go to your room young lady."

"Fine, but I'm bringing him with me." We take a seat, well actually I take a seat and Piper sits on my lap for no real reason, just because she wants to sit on my lap.

We spend the time waiting, in a stiff silence, until a nurse approaches us.

"You're all here for Thalia Castellan?" The nurse asks.

"Yes we are." Piper nods.

"You can come see her now."

With Piper and I leading the way we walk quietly into the room. Piper and I get to see Luke bounce the little bundle in his arms before passing it on to Thalia.

"Hey." Piper smiles at my big sister.

Thalia looks at us, an exhausted smile stretches across her sweat stained face, "Hi." She chuckles, bouncing my nephew.

I stand beside my brother-in-law staring in wonder at the little baby in my sister's arms.

"He looks like you Luke." I comment.

"Yeah, but he got Thalia's eyes." He whispers proudly.

"A little blondie." Piper chuckles, wrapping her arms around me. She's still wearing heels and therefore can actually reach my chest to hug me.

"What's his name?" Annabeth asks.

"Klaus Alexander Castellan." Thalia says, proudly looking back at her son. I think she starts crying as Luke leans down to kiss her temple, "He's so beautiful."

Luke rests his forehead on her head, "I am so proud of you." He says, "You gave us a perfect little boy."

Klaus opens his eyes, bright electrifying blue, just like his mom. Just like mine.

"Hi little one." Thalia coos at him, "I'm your mommy. I'm so happy to meet you." Klaus waves a little fist in the air which Luke takes in his hand, "That's your daddy." Thalia says, "And we are so excited to see all that you'll be."

Klaus looks all around him, observing all this new world has to offer.

"Jason." Thalia beams at me, "Do you want to hold him?"

Feeling like I can't refuse, I nod. Luke slips his arms around the baby's body and gently hands him to me.

Looking into that little boy's eyes I feel my heart melt in my chest. His bright eyes, his curiosity, his newness to the world. God, I hope he gets to stay this way. So adorably enthralled. The world is only kindness. The strangers are always filled with love.

This little boy is exactly what it must feel like to hold joy in your arms.

"I like you with a baby in your arms." Piper smiles looking at Klaus and I with soft eyes.

"Maybe you could put a baby in his arms Piper." Annabeth teases.

"Slow down there, he only just proposed." Piper chuckles.

"Huh?" Hazel asks with a smile on her face.

"Oh... Right." Piper holds up her left hand, "It wasn't much of a question, but I said yes."

"Took him long enough!" Thalia sighs leaning back in her bed, "I thought you'd never ask her."

"I was waiting for the right time." I tell her, my eyes returning to Klaus.

"Congratulations Grace family." Percy smiles, "It just got two more members."

"While we're sharing good news," Hazel speaks up, "We found out this morning, I'm pregnant."

Frank squeezes Hazel a bit tighter before kissing her head. Everything's happening so fast, everyone has news, life is changing every second and It's almost frightening.

I hand Klaus back to his dad, and feel Piper slip into my arms.

"I'm still here." She whispers in my ear. How does she always know when I'm feeling anxious? How does she know me so well.

"Thank you. I love you."

"I love you." She kisses me, and for just that moment, the hectic world around me stops spinning, just for us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Pst... new story on Friday :)**

We wake up to a loud buzzing on Piper's nightstand. I groan at the sound, the darkness is still pure when I open my eyes. What time is it?

"Hello?" Piper answers her phone groggily. She groans, holding the phone away from her ear.

"What is it?" I ask, sleepily cuddling back into her.

"Dunno." She yawns, "You deal with it." She slaps the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"I'm pregnant!"

"Who the fuck is this?"

"Annabeth."

"What fucking time is it?"

"Four a.m., why?"

"You called us at four in the fucking morning to tell us that you and your husband managed to do the nasty so much that you finally conceived?"

"Duh!" She starts squealing again.

"Annabeth's pregnant?" Piper mumbles.

"Yup."

Piper steals the phone away from me, "Annabeth, we can be happy at a decent hour of the morning. Go the fuck to sleep you hoe!" Piper ends the call and tosses her phone on the floor.

We snuggle back together before we laugh. We laugh for no reason, curled tiredly into one another, we laugh. And we don't know why we can't stop.

The next few days are swapped with work. Piper almost forgets about the lunch date we're having with her parents. Yes, both of them. Weird huh? I'm not going to say we forgot to tell Piper's mom about our engagement, but we forgot to tell Piper's mom about our engagement. Since she's in town today we'd thought to share the exciting news with them.

We walk hand in hand up the to little bistro Piper's dad suggested to us. Paparazzi have formed a mob behind us during the point five seconds it took for us to walk from our parked car into the restaurant.

Piper's parents are waiting for us.

"Hi," Piper smiled hugging her mother.

I shake her dad's hand and hug her mother before sitting down.

"So, a lot has happened in the span of a month." Piper starts off, slipping her hand into mine under the table.

"Tell me about it. Thalia had a baby, Hazel's pregnant, Annabeth's pregnant, Leo's got himself a girlfriend, Nico has a boyfriend. You kids have been getting busy." Mr. McLean chuckles.

"I know." Piper nods, "We actu-"

"You're pregnant!" Her mother squeals.

"Huh?" Piper asks.

"I'm sorree, I got ahead of myself dear."

"I'm not pregnant mama. But we are getting married."

Her mother squealed again, and her father gave me a nod. I smiled in return. Her moth, all the while screaming and squealing.

After insisting she plan the wedding at least six times. We agreed to let her help.

And so begins the year long wedding planning process of excruciating details I couldn't give a rats ass about. I mean, I don't care about linens, I care about marrying Piper. I care about the moment we'll be sharing, why should I have to decide if freaking baklava will be served or not? I don't care!

Well, I guess you should know some pretty great stuff has happened. Like the fact that my nephew is literally the cutest thing ever. He's walking now, anytime I call Thalia he steals the phone to tell me some gibberish.

Oh yeah, and Annabeth had her baby. His name is Lionel. Cute kid, looks just like his daddy. Poor sap, he'll be tragically attractive and it seems he's already developed the sass of his old man.

Hazel had her baby too! Wow, lots of babies... Well, his name Max. He's a bundle of energy. Even Leo can't keep up with him. I swear when that kid gets passed crawling and on his feet, oh man are his parents going to have to keep on their toes.

Piper and I have spent more time then I'd like to admit on the wedding. I mean sure, she and I still go to work. With her constantly doing shoots, whether she's behind the camera or in front of it, and me working toward directing on the side of my acting. All of our time together is spent either discussing wedding plans, or talking about how stressful it is to plan a wedding.

God, we even do that thing that they do on hospital dramas where they're so stressed out we have sex to calm down. Hell, we'll even do it so we can have a reason to lay down and sleep.

The count down to our wedding has started world wide. Apparently we're that big a deal. Our pictures are plastered to tabloid websites. I can't even go to a grocery store anymore, every stupid magazine has something to say about our wedding. Somehow it leaked that we're not having a prenup and suddenly the media exploded.

Even now as I'm driving home from work I can't get these things off my mind. I'm just so tired of being stuck under the white hot spotlight.

As I pull into the garage I turn off my car and rub my tired eyes. I don't think I can keep this up for another week, I'll go insane.

I hear the passenger side door open. I look up to see Piper buckling her seatbelt.

"Hey." I greet weakly. She leans over and kisses me for a long while, "What's up?"

"We're going out." She says, "I cannot deal with my mother right now, and you're exhausted."

"Where should we go?" I chuckle.

"Honestly? I don't care, let's just get away, to some place called anywhere but here."

"If we go can we not talk about the wedding."

"It's a deal." She nods as I back out of the drive way, "I'd ask how your day was, but you're still wearing your day, so I can assume it wasn't very good."

"Well, I mean, I was working on a Saturday, what does that tell you?"

"That you're stressed out."

"Bull's-eye. And with the-"

"We don't speak of it." Piper sighs. She's had it the worst. Fighting her mom on almost everything, and I've been no help to her whatsoever. Piper wanted the wedding in September. The wedding is in August. Piper wanted the wedding at the lake. The wedding is at some huge fancy hotel. Piper wanted a sunset ceremony. The wedding is at five o'clock with cocktails promptly at five forty five and dinner to be served at seven.

Piper wanted this, that, and the other thing. She got whatever the hell her mother decided for her. I wish now that I hadn't been so rude. I wish I hadn't told her that I had no opinion she really had no one helping her out.

I pull up to this park that we've never been to, the city is still lightened with dusk. Hand in hand we stroll across the sidewalk.

"I miss you." She says, "We never talk anymore."

"I miss you too." I sigh, "I'm sorry I've been so unhelpful."

"I'm sorry the thing has been eating all of my time."

"I still love you."

She stops, "Were you doubting it?"

"No... No, I just haven't said it in awhile, Pipes." I take both of her hands, "Look at me." She does so with large sad eyes, "I love you. Never second guess that."

She looks ready to cry, "I needed to hear that." She walks into my arms holding me tight.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I kiss the top of her head, "We're a team, disturbing the universe, causing mayhem wherever we go."

"Just like the good old days?" She chuckles.

"Honey, these are the good old days." I tell her.

"I love you." She smiles, looking up at me with shining eyes.

I lean down, kissing her lips with a sensation I haven't felt in months. I truly have missed her. I've missed her touch, her love, her words. Everything about her that seemed to have left me when this wedding planning began.

We begin walking again, "What's going on with you? We haven't just talked in so long."

"Work's a bear, as usual Bruce was being a hard ass."

"As usual."

"And Percy called me asking me if I could baby sit during our wedding."

"What?" She laughs.

"Percy was being a derp."

"Normal."

"And he called me up like, 'Hey man, I'm busy next Saturday can you take care of Lionel for us.' So, going along for the ride I was like, 'Sure man what are you doing.' and he was like, 'I'm going to a-... Fuck! Sorry man.' And then he hung up."

"Lionel's still not sleeping through the night?"

"Annabeth says he's got another month before he gets there." We take a seat on the first empty bench we find. The sticky summer air settles into coolness as the sun sinks lower in the sky.

"I can't believe our friends are parents."

"I can't believe my sister's a parent."

"She always was." Piper smiles at me, "For you she was."

"Yeah... but that kid came out of her."

"Don't you dare make me relive the birthing video they showed in health class." We laugh for a moment, "I am so ready for our trip." She sighs.

"Ugh, yes. Two weeks in Cancun is something we're in dire need of."

"And we're going to have a great time while the rest of our friends get back to real life stuff."

"Yuck real life stuff." I snort, "God, I wish I was a kid again."

"Oh, I don't."

"Why not?"

"Well, if I was a kid again, I wouldn't know you. Duh." She brings me back to kissing her.

"I love you."

"I love _you_."

"I love you." Piper stops smiling once I've said this, "What is it?"

She looks past me and then right into my eyes. Is that, fear in her gaze? "Jason, honey we should go. I left mama all alone at the house and-"

"What's wrong?" I ask attempting to turn my head. She forces my eyes to remain locked with hers.

"Nothing! We should just go."

"Piper-" She locks her lips with mine. For once I wrangle myself free of her, "What is it?" I ask. I wish I hadn't turn my head.

I see new shiny shoes, a pinstriped suit, professional, businesslike. Staring right into my soul. The gaze I thought would never again make me crawl back inside of my skin to hide. Cold blue eyes that have no hope of melting, holding their harsh stare. The furrowed brow that strikes fear into my body.

My father is standing just a few feet away.

My body freezes, I sit paralyzed no breath entering my body.

"Jason, honey, come on, let's go. Please." Piper says softly as if she hopes I won't be startled. She rubs warmth into my shoulder.

My gaze falls to the side walk as Piper leads me to our car. She says nothing until we're safely in the car and driving home.

"Jason, sweetheart, you're okay." I don't say anything, "I'm right here, remember? He's not going to get to you, I promise. I'm not going anywhere and I will protect you from him."

"How'd he get out?" My voice is low and almost harsh.

"His sentence was five years. Remember?"

I snap my eyes shut. All that pain he's cause me. Caused Thalia. Even caused Piper. How is he out of jail.

"I love you."

"I know."

"You're safe. You're with me."

I stay silent. God, my hands are shaking. Why am I shaking?

"Jason."

"What?" I snap.

"Please, listen to me."

"He's out of jail Pipes!"

"I know." She says softly, "But-"

"What if he finds us? What if he hurts us?" She stops the car and unbuckles her seatbelt. She takes my hands, spreading warmth into the otherwise frozen skin.

"Breathe with me." She says, "He will not touch you. He will not hurt us. Understand?"

I remember, I remember how bad it hurt, "But-"

"Shh," She hushes me softly, "How did we spend our first date?"

"What?"

"Tell me how we spent our first date."

"We... We... We danced."

"To what?"

I feel myself swallow a bout of panic, "Our song."

"We have so many." She smiles at me, "Which one?"

"You don't remember?"

"I do. But do you?"

"Ye... Yeah."

"Sing it with me."

"Which part?"

"Just the chorus." She smiles through her eyes. With our voices, calmness seeps into me. Like I absorb her kindness. She smiles softly, brushing away tears I didn't know I had.

"Better?" She asks so softly I hardly hear it.

I nod swiftly before leaning forward to kiss her.

"Lets go home."

"Home." I nod.

"You wrote a song about that too."

"Yeah?"

"Remember? _You taught me home is not a place. Because you take me back, through time and space. To show me where my heart lies, It's on those banks where water flows. Where light may fade but your spirit won't._

"_I'm Gonna Find Another Way. Together We'll Find Someday. Everything will be okay. Tomorrow will be better anyway. Please just say, you'll stay._" She sings softly.

"I remember that too." I tell her.

"We found that home, remember? We made it our own."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you." I say again, and again until we get home.

"Piper." I say as we walk inside, "I... I don't know..."

"Jason, what is it?"

"I think I'm scared."

She pulls me down to a height where I can hide away in her.

"You're allowed to be scared, you really are."

"Why is he...?"

"Doesn't matter. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Really?" My voice breaks.

"Really." She kisses my cheeks, "Why don't you go to bed?"

I cling to her tighter, wishing I could let go. Only, I absolutely cannot.

"I'll be here." She promises, "Remember? _I'll be here, with all your favorite memories. With things that you love and the home that you know. I won't leave, darling, simply because, you're the one. Dear, we've only just begun._" She kisses me.

She helps me get upstairs, then lets me change on my own. Instead of walking downstairs to read in the study, like she does almost every night she cuddles up beside me immediately, she sings to me. She whispers loving words.

I wake up two hours later from what I can only assume was the worst nightmare I've ever experienced.

Piper's sitting up beside me brushing my sweaty hair back, hushing me softly.

"Piper?" My voice trembles.

"It's okay." She tells me, "I'm right here."

"What happened?" I ask.

"You had a nightmare, but you're okay."

I swallow thickly.

"I'm right here, you know."

"I know that."

"I'm not going to leave you."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you more." I tell her, upon opening my eyes, and them adjusting to the dim light that Piper has turned on. I spot redness on her shoulders, "Pipes-"

"Shh, go back to sleep."

"Your arms-"

"Don't worry Jason."

"Did I-"

"No."

"Piper, don't lie to me." It's strange how she used to be the one telling me that.

"I'm not dear." She says softly.

"But-"

"We'll talk in the morning."

"I hurt you?"

"No,"

"But how then?"

"Jason, please you need to rest."

"Piper, if I didn't then who did?"

"Jason-"

"Piper!" I sit up and look at her shoulders.

"Jason." Her voice still calm and smooth, "I am not a victim, and you will not treat me like I am."

"But, did I-"

"It doesn't matter, honey."

"But it-"

"Doesn't matter. I'm fine, you are not."

"I'm so sorry."

Her hands cup my jaw, "I know you are, you didn't have to say it."

"Did I shake you?"

"We'll discuss it in the morning."

"Piper I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, just go back to sleep."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know all of this Jason. You are the kindest man I know. And I know that because even in your sleep, during your nightmares, you didn't hurt me."

"I didn't?" I ask weakly.

"No, you didn't."

"Really?"

"Really." She kisses every inch of my face, spreading love where I need it most. Everywhere as of now, "Sleep. We have tomorrow off, we can go to the lake and have a picnic for dinner. I know we said we'd spend the morning with the gang but we can have some time to ourselves. Does that sound okay?"

"Yeah... Yeah it does."

"Okay." She kisses my lips again. A shiver of calmness spreads to my veins. I'm okay, I am safe.

"Goodnight," I whisper as we settle back down into bed.

"Goodnight my love." She smiles curling up beside me. I wish, for my last conscious second before I fall asleep, that today would have never happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick Note! I have a Christmas story and want you all to check it out. Post your idea's for festive One Shots on it and I might do it! Okay go ahead.**

The very next day, after my little episode, Piper and I head over to the Jackson's place for breakfast. Piper's mom had something to do for the wedding, she left before us.

"Six days and it'll be over with." Piper sighs as we pull out of the drive way.

"Yup." I agree." I had a rough night and could really use a cup of coffee.

"Mama is driving me to insanity." She groans.

"I know. I know." I nod turning onto the main road. They live about five minutes away from us.

"Thank you for putting up with all of this." She smiles at me.

"My pleasure." I chuckle pulling up to our destination. Hazel and Frank's car is already parked.

We climb out of the car, and Piper offers me her hand as we walk up to their front door. Piper rings the door bell only to be greeted by the barking of the family dog, Sammy.

Annabeth opens the door, baby Lionel sitting on the shelf of her hip.

"Hi you two." She smiles keeping Sammy inside the house her leg.

"Hi." Piper smiles back as we walk in. Sammy attacks me with love, because I'm his favorite. Lionel reaches for Piper because she's his favorite.

"He missed you." Annabeth says handing Lionel over to Piper.

"Hi buddy." She smiles at him. He giggles, waving his arms around.

"But did you miss me?" Leo calls from the living room, "That's the question."

"Always Leo." Piper calls back handing Annabeth her son. We walk into the living room and begin catching up with everyone. Which has gotten a bit harder now that the others have children. Seriously, kids eat your life man.

Hazel smiles at the two of us, "So, the W-"

"I swear if one of you brings it up I will punch your nose in." Piper says shortly.

"Nervous?" Annabeth asks.

Piper looks at the children playing with Sammy, she bites back her curses, "Angry."

"It's your big day though." Percy chooses his words carefully.

"No, it's my mother's big day. Nothing about it is anywhere near what I want." Piper says, "It's a circus, not a marriage."

"Well, technically," I draw out the word, "We're already married."

"I know that, but the ceremony is supposed to... I don't know, be a part of us becoming one. And it just isn't."

"I'm sorry." Hazel says.

"At least we have the honeymoon." I tell her seductively.

"Children are present!" Percy says.

"Well they gotta learn somehow." Leo winks before getting slapped in the chest.

"Don't you dare corrupt my baby." Annabeth threatens.

"You're no fun." Leo chuckles, ducking from another smack.

"You know, I'm going to be so freaking happy when this is all over." Piper sighs leaning back into me.

"And when can we expect another Grace?" Annabeth asks.

"Never." Piper chuckles, "After one night babysitting Lionel. Never."

I stop for a moment, "Really?"

"Oh my god, we are not talking about kids right now." Piper says, "I'm so done. I'm done with everything."

"Okay... So Hazel how're you?" I ask kissing the back of Piper's neck just to watch the shiver run through her.

Piper and I get to spend an easy morning with all of our friends, before Piper drags me out of the house and tells me she has a surprise.

"What is it?" I chuckle as we start driving.

"Would it really be a surprise if you knew what it was?"

"Well no-"

"Get us home then!"

"Home? Why are we going home?"

"Trust me!"

"Why are we going home?"

"To change dear." She leans over and kisses my cheek, "We need to have some fun. And you're being a stick in the mud about it."

"I am not." I laugh.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"I love you." She chuckles as we pull up. She flies out of the car, "Get a suit on and let's go!"

"Where to?"

"Who cares?" She asks with a wink.

"Fair enough." I follow her inside.

I throw on a suit and wait for Piper to come out of the bathroom. She's gotten herself all kinds of dressed up.

She's down her hair up, thrown on a layer of makeup, and wears a rockabilly red dress. She walks over to me, her heels clicking on the floor as she walks. She slaps a fedora on my head, "Let's go." She smiles taking my hand and running me down the stairs. I hold onto the hat as we run out to the car.

"So, where are we going?"

She smiles at me, stealing the keys to my car, "Let's find out."

She drives us into town to a new decades club that opened up last month. We get in easily and find the place packed with people from all different era's. There's a few flappers, an American bond girl, a few mobsters, all getting down to Louis Armstrong.

"You want to Charleston?" She smiles at me.

"I can't dance babe." I smile at her anyway.

"I'll show you." She promises, I leans down to kiss her. "Remember, we're dancing through life."

"Okay." I let her lead me onto the dance floor.

She teaches me to jive, Charleston, swing, and a lot of other dances I can't really tell you anything about.

We have a good time, the best time we've had in a very long time. We laugh, and dance wildly about.

We leave the club at one thirty. Not stumbling drunk, not entirely sober either. And that may or may not explain our actions...

Okay, can you keep a secret?

God, this is embarrassing. I'm twenty three years old for fuck sakes. Okay.

Piper doesn't open the front door, instead she drags me into the back seat. I close the door behind me, propping myself over her.

I find her lips tasting like fruit and alcohol, she rubs my arms for awhile, squirming slightly beneath me as she kisses my lips.

She kicks her shoes off, so they fall the floor silently. She slides my jacket off with ease, "God, Jason," She whispers, "God, I miss you."

"I'm right here." I promise kissing her jaw tenderly.

"But... Damn have I missed you."

"Are you already drunk dear?" I laugh.

"Maybe I need to be."

"Throw the keys." I instruct her, moving along the lines of her body with my hands. She moans into me, throwing the keys into the front seat.

"Dear god, I'm in love with you." She decides.

"Really?" I chuckle.

"Shut up and love me."

"Is that a yes?"

Violently almost, she grabs me and kisses me. She breathes heavily, "I have always and will always love you. Every touch makes me shiver, every kiss makes me melt. Every glance makes me giddy. Fuck, Jason, I just want to be with you."

"I love you too."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"I fucking love you."

"I've always fucking loved you."

"That makes two of us."

After a moment I think, is this really appropriate? To do things in the back of a car in a parking garage?

"Hey," I pull back from her, "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" She chuckles.

"Do you trust me?"

"With all my heart." I climb over her half naked body into the driver's seat.

"I'm going to take you on an adventure." I promise.

"You already are." She says, "A wonderful adventure called life." She pulls herself up, and from the back seat, she wraps her arms around me. She nibbles on my earlobe, kisses my jaw.

"Life's taking us someplace new."

"I'll go anywhere with you."

"Don't you dare follow me."

"Never. Only beside you."

We're the horny teenage couple of our friends... I just have this realization as I pull into the camp ground.

"Lake sex?" Piper chuckles as I take her hand and run with her to the lake.

"Lake sex, field sex, all of the sex. Let's just fucking be dumb."

"Okay." She laughs. I think she's tipsy, but not wholly drunk. Let me tell you, an inebriated Piper is a sight to see. But there's a difference between her drunk and her tipsy.

She's a horny drunk, but a clumsy drunk when she's full on I-don't-remember-last-night drunk.

I basically attack her the moment we get the clearing. We tumble down the hill together, and once we reach a soft patch of grass we strip each other down until skin touches skin with every hot breath we take.

I'll stop with the details there. To recap we do that nasty in the field, skinny dip and then flop into bed together.

My hands have found themselves caught up in her hair, and god damn, even though I can't see a fucking thing I know she's perfect.

I can hear her musical laugher, her breath settling in her chest. I can just imagine the creases of joy settling across her face. I can see the light in her eyes. The perfect stretch of her lips. The wrinkle of her nose.

I think of her and let joy engulf the rest of me.

"Hey beautiful." I smile, "It's three a.m. and I can't stop thinking about you."

"I never stop thinking about you." She returns.

"Should we sleep?"

"Never." She tells me, "We can sleep when we're dead."

"Until then, what do we do?"

"Smile because it's happening."

"What's happening?"

"What isn't? We're happening. The world is turning, the sky is changing colors, People are falling in love, flowers are blooming. We're falling in love with every passing second."

I kiss her for a long while, breathing her breath, tasting lake water and gum. When'd she chew gum?

"Hey, Jason."

"Hm?"

"Do you ever think love is a joke?"

"Never."

"Good."

"Do you ever wonder where we'd be wi-"

"No."

"Without each other?"

"It's unthinkable. It's impossible."

"I feel the very same."

When we both decide sleep is a necessary evil we pull away. I stare at her, and she stares at me. A question pops into my head.

"Pipes?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you really not want to have kids?"

She looks half shocked for a moment, "Uh..."

"Like if you found out you were pregnant right now. What would you do?"

"Right now, right now?" She asks.

"Yeah."

"I'd cry."

"Really?"

"Y-yes."

"Happy tears?"

"Out of fear."

"But would you be happy?"

"Eventually."

"So... You don't... You don't want kids."

"Uh... That's a really... Uh... Broad question."

"Not really."

"You want kids?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Just, oh?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Yes or no, do you want kids?"

"Maybe?"

"Maybe, is that your final answer?" Why am I an asshole?

"Are we really talking about this at three thirty?"

"Well, apparently we are."

She sighs, "I don't want them now."

"Okay."

"Or in a year."

"Okay."

"Maybe in five years."

"Maybe?"

"For sure by the time I'm thirty."

"Okay."

"I think we are not nearly drunk enough for this conversation."

"Nope."

"I just... I don't know. I guess I don't want to become Hazel."

"What's wrong with Hazel?"

"Nothing. She just stopped working. She's a mom, and she's a great mom. But she tells me she's afraid that's all she is sometimes."

"It doesn't have to be that way."

"I just want more than that."

"I understand."

"But I don't want to be Thalia who thinks she's not enough of a mom." I nod at her answer, "Maybe I don't want kids. I don't know anymore."

"Let's get married first."

"You mean, let's put on a show first."

"I've been putting on a show my whole fucking life."

"Well, maybe after this, we don't have to anymore."

"You mean, step out of the spotlight?"

"I mean whatever the hell you think it means, I'm literally so tired I have no idea how the fuck to interpret that."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

And I sleep, until I'm ripped out of my dreams by the buzzing of a phone. My phone.

"Hello?" I slur, pretty sure it's Percy wondering where I am. Today is the Bachelor party. Percy and Leo have spent the whole year planning for it.

But it's not Percy.

"When were you planning on inviting me to the wedding?"

Oh my god.

"How did you get this number?"

"The same way I found your address." Oh my god, "Well, I'll see you soon. Son."

He hangs up.

"Jason?" Piper murmurs sitting up, "Babe, what's the matter?"

"Pipes." I breathe, but barely.

"Hey, it's okay." She comforts me, unsure of what's wrong.

"Pipes."

"Shh, you're okay."

"He... He knows-"

"It's alright." She promises, "You're with me. You're safe."

I start crying, "Pipes."

She hushes me, softly combing through my unruly morning hair, kissing my head, promising me I'm adored, I'm safe, I'm loved, she promises he won't hurt me. Never again.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Christmas One Shot idea thing goes down tomorrow so be sure if you have any ideas to comment on that story (called; Christmas a Claus for Celebration.)**

**Happy Thanksgiving my lovely companions. This year I'm grateful for all of you lovely amazing people :)**

"Honey, your friends are here." Piper calls out around four thirty. We spent most of the morning doing almost nothing, until Piper's mom called her asking for help with last minute wedding stuff. We got home close to noon, Percy and Leo said I needed to be ready by five.

"Now they're just my friends?" I tease her lightly, sprinting down the stairs.

"I'm not claiming them especially once they're through with you." Piper smiles back at me. We reach the front hall and find the two of them eagerly awaiting me.

"Let's go!" Leo grabs my arm forcefully.

"Guys night!" Percy shouts as well.

"Make sure he's back to me by eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Piper says leading us to the front door. She kisses me quickly before I'm thrown into the back seat of Leo's car.

"We're going to go pick up Nico, and Frank before we're off." Leo says revving the engine, mostly just for show.

"Dude, tonight is going to rock." Percy cackles.

"Just as long as it doesn't end up, like the girls bachelorette party." I shudder, recalling the incident.

"I looked good in that corset, don't deny it." Leo does a body roll in the front seat.

"Not on my fiancée's lap you didn't."

"For two whole minutes, big whoop."

"You were grinding on her."

Percy laughs wickedly at our conversation. Leo snorts, "Jealous much?"

"Hardly."

We pick up the guys and head out to a strip club... Okay, sure, why not? Only when we get in, there are no other people, just a whole lot of stripers. True friends buy out a strip club for you on your bachelor party. I think it's been decided.

After getting sufficiently drunk enough to allow the strippers to do their job. I get to watch the hilariously priceless looks on Nico and Frank's faces. God, Frank might pass out his face is so red. And Nico just looks disgusted.

Under his breath, at one point during the night, I hear him mutter, "Girl those can't be real." I just about die laughing.

It's when the guys take me to an actual club, for actual partying that things get weird... alright weirder.

All of us are drunkenly stumbling around the dance floor, not much different from everyone else. When some dude starts grinding on me.

"Hey, slut nugget." I slur drunkenly, "You're not my type." Before I stagger into Percy, "Now you... You're my type."

"Sweet." Percy cackles. We start dancing together, "So, getting married."

"Remember when we did that?"

"I remember when you left me at the alter."

"Remember when you hit on my fiancée?"

"Bruh... Bruh."

"Huh?"

"Not, cool."

"Why not?"

"I am way to drunk to think about your fiancée. My mind will do weird shit."

"Wait you want to sleep with my fiancée?"

"I sure as shit used to."

"Oh..."

"Like damn, she's hot. And Annabeth's hot... You wanna three way sometime?"

"No..."

"Bruh."

"Percy are you gonna puke?"

"No... Where's Frank?"

"Ah fuck, I don't know man."

Leo swaggers up to us, "Jason, why are you laying in Percy's arms."

"We were in love once."

"M'kay."

"Leo, would you have a threesome with me?"

"Who's the third?"

"I don't know."

"What's with you and threesomes man?" I ask.

Percy shrugs, "I don't know. I guess I'm just a horndog."

"Well, duh." I finally stand on my own two feet.

"Hey." Leo says, "I danced with a gay dude, does that make me gay?" Sometimes you don't know Leo's drunk until he says shit like that.

"No, bruh." Percy assures him.

"Am I pregnant?"

"No, dude. You're just a drunk guy at a club." I tell him.

"Sweet." Leo nods his head like a stoner.

"Guys?" Nico appears, "Hey I'm gonna take Frank home because he's like, crying."

"What'd he do?" Leo chuckles.

"Nothing, he's just holding onto the menu and any time he looks at it he sobs, 'it's so sad.' So, I'll be back in an hour?"

"Thanks mom." Percy says, "I love you."

"Uh... I love you too?" Nico gives him a look of, dear god you're drunk.

"Heeyy Nico, pull my finger." Leo chuckles.

"I'll be back." Nico rolls his eyes

"He thinks we're children." Percy scoffs dramatically.

"We are children."

"We are, Percy's not." Leo laughs.

"Why not?"

"Cause you have a children."

"Oh yeah..."

"Did you just happen to forget about that?" I ask.

"Pfft... Pfft... Pfft... No."

"I'm sure." Leo laughs, "Who wants to get laid."

"Leo, you have a girlfriend don't you?" I give him an odd look.

"Do I?"

"Yes stupid, you do."

"Hey, I'm not stupid." Leo says and then starts speaking Spanish.

"And we lost Leo." Percy says.

"New record." I nod as Leo starts shouting what can only be profanities, by the looks on some peoples faces.

"I'll get him an ice water, and a chill pill." Percy staggers over to him, wraps a limp arm around his torso and drags him off the dance floor.

Now alone on the dance floor, I mingle a little bit, before finding myself outside. It seems like a good idea to me, if I just take a nice stroll. The weather is warm, the city is alive with light. One could lose themselves in a city like this, on a night like tonight.

And that's exactly what I do.

Don't laugh at me, please. I'm just a drunken mess, I'll admit to that. I've somehow wandered into a park and have no fucking clue where I am.

But I do sober up quiet a bit when I hear, "Well, look who wandered into the wood."

My blood runs cold. I turn around and see, you guessed it, my father, "The hell?"

"What? Not surprised to see your old man?"

"Surprised? Yes. Happy? Not at all."

"Take a seat." He gestures to the park bench.

"I gotta go-"

"You don't even know where you are."

"Doesn't mean I don't have someplace else to be." Fuck, when'd he get so close to me?

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Really? Because you've kind of only done just that all my life."

"Jason... You're an adult now. Can't we both act like adults?"

"You didn't seem to be very adult like when I was a kid." I start walking away from him.

"It's just like you." He says, "To run away from an issue. You always did. Every morning."

"I'm not running away. I'm staying out of this."

He lets a quiet chuckle escape, "Come now, isn't there a chance that I might be trying to give you some fatherly advice."

"Like I need your advice."

"Then why is it that days before your wedding, you find yourself wandering drunk and alone? The only one to have bothered to find you, happens to be me." I give him a harsh glare, "What's the issue, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of becoming you." And I've reached that point in the night where words start falling out of my face, let's see where this gets me.

"And why on earth would that be?" He asks, humored.

"Because you're the biggest ass wipe I've ever met."

"Oh, I'm certain." He prods, "You can do better than that. Why don't you get angry, son? The last encounter we had, you knocked my brains in."

"The last encounter we had, you tried to kill me." I remind him.

"You exaggerate still, I see."

"You fucking choked me."

"You gave me internal bleeding." He responds with a scoff, "I'm not here to apologize, nor am I here to beg for forgiveness. I'm here to ask you why."

"Why what?"

"Why ruin that poor girls life by making her marry you?"

"What?"

"What did she ever do to deserve you? A broken, emotional, mess of a man."

"Stop."

"I'm right, aren't I? You must've wondered the same thing. But why are you putting her through this?"

"I-... I-..." Where are my words?

"You cry, Jason. You cry in your sleep, you scream at things that can't hurt you. You hurt her. Does she really deserve that?"

"Leave Piper out of this!" I find my voice, though it's low and more of a growl.

"If you love her, wouldn't you have let her off her leash by now?"

"She has no leash."

"I was certain every bitch was kept under lock and key." I lung at him, gripping his shirt and pulling him close enough that he can taste the alcohol in my breath.

"You listen to me right now you pathetic little leech. You will not talk about her like that. Ever. Again."

"And still so defensive of her. What was it you said to me that night? 'I love her and I'm not going to stop loving her because this love is real. I'm not going to give up the best thing in my life, because of you.' You're just so naive."

"You have no more power over me."

"Then how is that you so quickly attacked me?" I feel my grip loosen, "Is it because you're no better than me?" I start walking away again, "Should I take that as a yes?"

"Shut up."

"It runs in the family you know." I stop, "The toxic behavior. I swore to your mother and to my own father, I'd never become him. I'd never lay a hand on the love of my life. Not one finger on my own children. History repeats itself, Jason."

"Unless we learn from it."

"And you think you're the one who learned?"

"Yes. I have."

"You are poorly mistaken, son. You know that girlfriend of yours is just like your own mother. Weak, spineless, dependent."

"Piper is none of those things."

"We become our worst nightmares sometimes Jason. Our demons fester inside us until we become them."

"You're wrong."

"Such a childish answer."

"We get to choose, in the world, _father._ We get to pick and choose which battles we fight. We get to choose what affects us. We get to choose how we react to situations. And we get to choose where we go from where we came from. You have no power over me. Not anymore."

As I walk away he says, "It's amazing, the power liquor can have over someone."

Yeah it sure does. It's literally the only fucking reason I did not A) kill him. B) runaway crying/scream. C) shit my pants.

I walk around more. Getting more lost as time passes by. What did he mean, that I didn't deserve her? Do I?

Duh, of course I... Shit, do I? Does anyone deserve a _person_? Is anyone entitled to one person just because they love them? And if I deserve her, does she deserve me? Are we deserving of one another?

Does any of that matter? Should any of that matter? Should I marry someone who deserves better than me? Oh my god, when did I start crying? Why am I shaking?

I want her, but there's a difference between wanting someone and deserving them. Shit. What if all this time she's deserved more than me? Would I be ruining her by marrying her?

And what about his whole, history repeating itself shit? What if that's true? What if I become him in a few years? What if I make Piper have a baby and I end up hurting it? What if that's why she doesn't want kids and she won't tell me?

What if he's looking out for Piper? Making sure I don't hurt her? What if he's right? What if I am a monster?

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

I can't hurt her. I could never hurt her. I love her more than I've ever loved anyone. But what if love isn't enough?

I physically smack myself, "Get it together, Grace." I say, "All of his words are laced with lies, remember what he said about Piper being weak and stuff? Cause you sure as shit know that isn't true."

I reassure myself of that much. My father wasn't telling me the truth then. He's nothing to me, below my feet. Now, if only I could get home...

I look down at my phone to see Percy calling.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what the square root of sixty four?"

"Eight... Why?"

"Hey, I think he's sober!"

"Idiot, give me the phone Percy!"

"Nico?"

"Yes, where the fuck are you?"

"Uh, I don't know."

"You don't know." Nico dead pans, "Perfect."

"Did I screw up?"

"Percy and Leo did."

"Don't blame Leo! He just has a lot of feels!" I hear Percy tell Nico.

"What he has is far too much tequila in his system. Jason, give me landmarks okay?"

I look around myself, "Uh, there's a guy staring at me as he's slipping off a girls panties, trying to get into an apartment complex."

"So, helpful."

"Jason," Percy shouts, "If you can hear me clap once."

"HE can't hear you." Nico assures him.

"Nico, I have an idea."

"What Percy?" Nico sounds fed up.

"Let's play Marco Polo to find him."

"We are not going to play Marco Polo to find him Percy."

"It's foolproof!"

"Percy how's Leo?" I hear a shuffling, "Any road signs?"

"Yeah... 21 North Street?"

"I'll be there in five minutes, stay on the line and don't move."

"Okay."

"He's drooling Nico!"

"That's great, Percy. Really remarkable."

Nico picked me up after a bit of navigation, my stomach still sitting deep in the cavity of my body from the previous encounter. I feel cold and alone. Isolated among laughter and ridiculousness. I feel like the only truly sober one. Even though Nico didn't have a drop of alcohol, even though I had probably drank the most.

I begin to notice the prickling of my muscles as the fall asleep with out. The sun rising as Nico lets me off at home.

I walk up to mine and Piper's bedroom, kiss her as softly as I can just because I need a reason to believe I deserve her. If I'm gentle enough, kind enough, if every touch is soft, maybe I'll deserve her.

But that's only, maybe.

I run a bath and in my clothes, I lay there. With heavy cloth weighing me down, now wet hair sticking to me. I finally fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry, my friends, that I've been slacking. I've recently had a death in the family and it's been hard for me to sit down and write. Please forgive me I promise more frequent updates by February when my life finally takes a chill pill. Anyway, this should make your feels at least a little bit happy.**

In the morning I wake up surprisingly dry, by that I mean, wow I'm not submerged in my bath tub.

"Morning," Piper leans against the door frame smiling mischievously at me.

"Hey." I sit up, "How are you?"

"Well, I woke up and found my fish of a husband laying in a fully run bathtub? Why?"

"Drunk." I decide is a decent excuse.

"Better not be hung over, we have our last marriage readiness class today."

"Do we have to go?"

"Hey, Annabeth was the one who signed us up, not me. We might as well finish what we started."

"Huh." I smirk at her, "You said that to me about sex once."

"You're such an ass, come on breakfast is downstairs."

"Aw yeah, food and a hot fiancée."

"You can eat both if you get lucky." She winks before leaving the bedroom.

"Hey wait a minute!" I fly out of bed to join her for breakfast. Piper's mom tells us how excited she is, only four days until the wedding. Thank which ever god gave us that blessing.

Piper steals me immediately running us out of the house and down to the community center. Piper and I have been attending these special classes that teach people about being married, as you've heard, it was Annabeth's grand plan. Honestly they haven't been too bad, they make us talk. We've set up a budget, talked about life goals, but apparently we've neglected the children talk... Somehow.

"Hello, Graces." Reverend Michaels greets us warmly. We've been doing these classes with nine other couples, well actually, after the first class one couple decided they really weren't down to get married and another couple accidentally confessed that they were both cheating on each other. So really seven.

Piper starts chatting with the other couples until class starts.

"Hello everyone, welcome back." Reverend Michaels smiles at us, "I'm very excited to say that this in Piper and Jason's last day with us." Everyone applauds to that, "We've been happy to have you both, and I hope you're ready to embark on this journey of life together."

Piper squeezes my hand so our smiles match.

"As such, you two will be staying a bit later today, I hope you don't mind."

"Course not." I tell him.

"Glad to hear it. Now today we're going to be talking about our pasts leading up to our futures. Which means we'll be sharing family stories as a group and then with your partner you'll be discussing the future. Let's start with lecture."

He walks over to his podium, "As we've discussed a marriage requires the commitment of both parties, in order to succeed. We've talked about openness and honesty in our relationships. But in order to fully understand one another we need to know the whole story. We need to understand who we were in order to become one unit.

"I'd like you all to think of the most important point in your life. Don't say it out loud yet. Just think about it. How did this event change you as a person? How do you feel about this event? If it ended badly are you still trying to feel at peace with it? Do you like who you became because of this? Does your partner know about this event?

"I want to do two exercises with this. The first will be a partner and then we'll regroup. I want you to turn to your partner and guess what event they're thinking of. You will not tell them if they're right or wrong. And then if you feel comfortable telling the group you will have the chance. Go."

Piper and I smirk at each other.

"I know what you're thinking of." I tell her.

"Do you?" She asks.

"Yes," I kiss her forehead.

"I don't think you do."

"Of course I do, when you beat up Octavian."

"That is still one of the best decisions I've ever made. To be honest." She laughs, "And I know what you're thinking of."

"Really?"

"When you got away." She's totally wrong.

"Everyone ready?" Reverend Michaels asks. We all nod, turning back to the center. "Let's start going around the circle, Mables."

Everyone shares stories, some of getting accepted to college where they met their sweetheart, others have to do with jobs, one even deals with death. And then we reach me.

"Jason, care to share?"

I sigh, "Well, to be honest, my memory kick started a lot in my life. It changed me forever, and without it I absolutely would not be here today. Piper knows about this event."

"Was I there?" She asks teasingly.

"Yes, you were, because it's the day we met. When you were falling all over yourself in the hallway-"

"You just have to mention that." She chuckles.

"And I stumbled into your life half blind. But it was the best decision I ever made, and I'm still reaping the benefits."

"Really?" She asks.

"Really." I lean forward to kiss her lips. We receive applause until we've pulled away.

"And what about the missus?" Reverend Michaels asks.

"Well, my event changed me too. I am more than happy that this event has happened. I am so glad I had the opportunity to become the person I am now that I've had this experience. And yes, Jason, you were there for this. Because we have the same memory."

I tilt my head back and laugh, "No way."

"Yes, way." She nudges me, "Although I remember a bit later in the day when I was trying to be nice and you were being rude so I called you stupid."

"I remember that." I assure her, "We're adorable."

"Yeah we are." She high fives me before we kiss again.

They continue around the circle until it's time for us to talk one on one.

Piper and I turn to each other.

"I know where this is going." Piper laughs.

"You do?" I laugh with her.

"What are the two things we've neglected to talk about?"

"Jobs,"

"Jobs and kids." She says.

"I think... I think I want to stop acting. I need to get out of the spotlight, life has been so stressful because of it."

She smiles softly, "I think that's a great idea."

"And I do want a baby. Someday." I tell her before I lose my nerve.

She nods, her smile still small, "Okay."

"Wait, really?"

"On one condition."

"Shoot."

"If I say yes. We do not start trying until we get back from the honeymoon... And the only other thing is that we don't obsess over having a baby. Please."

"It's a deal." I say holding out my pinky to her. Chuckling she links her pinky with mine, I lean forward and kiss her. "Wait what about your work?"

"I... I've been thinking about work. And while I'm not sure yet... If we have a baby right away, I want to only do my business part time. I want to co-own it with Lacey."

"I think that's a great idea."

"Glad you think so." She says happily, "So, another thing."

"What?"

"Moving?"

"Oh... Yeah. Well, if we have a baby we'd have to put the nursery in the guest room."

"Which wouldn't be ideal because we always have guests."

"True." I agree, "I guess we need to do adult stuff like look for a house."

"Gross adult stuff." She scrunches up her nose.

"How big of a house are we thinking?"

"Well that depends how many kids we talking?"

"I want a girl." I tell her honestly.

"So no number?" She asks.

"I don't want a million kids, just a daddy's girl."

She chuckles, "Aw, that's so cute! Well, if you don't have an opinion I draw the line at three. And you'll be lucky if we get two."

"Deal. So, five bedroom?"

"Oh why the hell not?" She laughs.

"And we'll need a library."

"Of course." She starts playing with my hands, "I swear if you get me pregnant right away Annabeth is going to give me the I told you so, speech with Hazel backing her up."

"Hey, Reyna will be on your side at least." I laugh.

"Well, maybe, you know how she's all fallen in love and mushy. And sickening."

"Hey you fell in love and got all mushy."

"On the contrary I've always been mushy."

"Oh yeah, that's true."

Piper and I get way off topic, by the time class ends we somehow started talking about our kids living on the moon? Don't ask me how.

"Graces, are you ready?" Reverend Michaels asks us once everyone else has cleared out.

"Oh yes." Piper chuckles.

"I'm glad. Come with me." We walk into his office where he has three lock boxes set up. "I do this for all of my couples." He informs us, "The blue box is your newlywed box. You'll both write little things that you love about one another. You'll say whatever you want them to know on your wedding night and put them in this box. The red one is your first argument box. You'll write each other letters, I encourage my couples to write something about how much they love one another. The green one is your five years box. One your fifth anniversary you'll read each others letters and see how far you've come. I encourage you to do this for every milestone anniversary."

"Lots of writing." Piper comments.

"We better get to it." I tell her.

I grab the boxes as she says, "Thank you so much." She leans over the desk to hug him.

"Congratulations you two." He smiles, "And by the way, you will have some beautiful babies."

"Thank you." I smile again at him leading Piper out of his office.

"I guess we've got to go house hunting, huh?"

"And baby making." I tease, smacking her ass before we get in the car.

"You're such a dick."

"Yes. What else is new?"

We drive home to start writing our letters. Piper pulls out a whole stack of lined paper and colored pens.

"We look like two kids at a coloring table." I tell her.

"Yeah well... I have no response to that."

"Loser." She sticks her tongue out at me, "Oh god now we really are preschool kids."

"You know it." She laughs.

The two of us spend a lot of time writing our letters. We put them in the lock boxes together, in a ceremony we've dubbed the Lockboxing.

I can't believe that in four days I'm going to be married to this girl. I can't believe she's willing to have my babies. Shit, we're like real adults aren't we!?

"Jason, baby." Piper calls me over to the study where she has some kind of real estate agency pulled up. "You free tomorrow?"

"We're going to look at houses?"

"Yup. And hey maybe we'll be able to move in when we get back."

"For real? It happens that fast?"

"It can. We can have our friends help us out."

"Yeah... Yeah."

"Jason?"

"I feel like we're suddenly grown ups. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Sweetheart you've been a grown up since you were fourteen years old." She kisses me then, "Everything is going to be fine. We're going to get a house, and we're going to get married, and you're going to knock me up." I laugh at that, "And we're going to be very happy grown ups."

"I hope so, Pipes, I hope so."

"I know so." She promises before whispering, "So, you want to do teenager things?" She asks.

"Now that." I say scooping her up in my arms, "I'm ready for."


End file.
